CPT code 11721: Nail debridement, six or more nails2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Washington, DC area

In Washington, DC area, Medicare pays $50.81 for 11721 in the office and $22.88 when it’s performed in a hospital or facility.

Check a contract rate as a % of Medicare · 11721 nationwide

Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.

What 11721 covers

This service involves reducing thickened, dystrophic, or fungal nails by manual or mechanical methods, such as nippers, curettes, or an electric burr, until the nail plates are thinner and more comfortable. Podiatrists commonly perform it in the office, nursing facility, or home for patients whose thickened toenails cause pain or interfere with walking. Unlike trimming, debridement removes nail thickness or bulk rather than simply shortening or shaping the nails.

Report one unit when six or more nails are debrided in a session; use the one-to-five-nail code when fewer are treated. Document the nails treated, their condition, symptoms, and findings supporting medical necessity. Medicare generally excludes routine foot care unless coverage criteria are met. For coverage based on a qualifying systemic condition, document the required findings, use Q7, Q8, or Q9 when the applicable class findings support one, and identify the managing physician when required. The 0-day global includes same-day preoperative and postoperative care; a separately reported E/M requires a significant, separately identifiable service and modifier 25. Modifier 50 is inappropriate. Medicare does not pay an assistant at surgery under the statutory restriction, and co-surgeons and team surgery are not permitted.

This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.

How Washington, DC area compares for 11721

Across 109 of 109 payment localities, the office rate for 11721 runs from $40.65 in Arkansas to $57.63 in San Benito County, CA. Washington, DC area pays $50.81. The RVUs are the same everywhere; the geographic indexes change the dollars.

Every other payment area

11721 rates by state

Office rate range in each state. Select a state to see its payment localities.

See 11721 in every payment locality

How the 11721 rate is calculated

Each of 11721’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.

Payment rules and modifiers for 11721

The CMS indicators that decide how 11721 is paid alongside other services.

Codes related to 11721

Related codes aren’t interchangeable: bill the code that matches the service performed.

How 11721 has changed in Washington, DC area

Price 11721 for an earlier date of service

Where the Washington, DC area rate applies

Washington, DC area is a Medicare payment area, not a city. Our Census mapping connects it to 1 cities and communities in District of Columbia. Some span more than one payment area; confirm with the service ZIP.

• Washington

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Where these rates come from

FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.

CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027

Open CMS sourceHow we calculate rates